
A Brief History of Usui Reiki
Mikao Usui, born in the village of Taniai in Japan in 1865, founded the Usui Reiki Healing Method from a lifetime of study and practice of ancient meditation, breath work, energy work and movement.
Usui’s came from a ancient samurai clan and his family practiced Buddhism. He was educated in a Buddhist school and then went on to train in Kiko, Shugendo, Zen and Tendai Buddhism. The pivotal moment in Mikao Usui’s life was when he climbed Mount Kurama to spend 21 days fasting and meditating in order to enhance his spiritual training. Towards the end of the 21 days he felt a light enter him and attune him to the energy that is called Reiki. This natural healing energy began to help him and those he came across as he descended the Mount Kurama.
Soon after he founded the Usui Reiki Healing Method Society in Tokyo where he initiated and taught the healing powers of Reiki. About 18 months after setting up the society the Kanto area of Japan suffered a devasting earthquake that destroyed many cities and towns. Usui and his students offered their help to heal those that suffered from the earthquake. Word quickly spread through Japan about Usui, Reiki and its ability to heal. Usui was quick to react to the demand for his skills and by the time he died he had trained over 2,000 people in Reiki including 20 at Master and Teacher level.
One of those Usui taught to Master and Teacher level was Chujiro Hayashi, who was a medical doctor in the Japanese Navy. Hayashi went on to set up his own Reiki clinic and school in Tokyo. A Japanese woman who lived in Hawaii called Hawayo Takata was due to travel to Japan for surgery. She heard about Hayashi’s clinic and decided to go there for treatment instead of having the surgery. Takata made a full recovery and asked Hayashi to train her to Master and Teacher level, which he did. Hayashi help Takata to establish Reiki in Hawaii.
During World War Two the Japanese forced Reiki, as well as other humanitarian and spiritual practices, to go underground. Reiki had to remain underground for some time after the war had ended. However, Takata was able to continue to practice and train others in Reiki from her clinic and school in Hawaii. By the time of Takata’s death she had managed to initiate a further 22 Reiki Masters. In time Japanese practitioners of Reiki were able to carry out and teach Reiki openly. Soon Western and Japanese Reiki practitioners were able to communicate and share developments.
Reiki has since spread all over the world with Masters teaching Reiki to those open to it. Reiki is now a well know complementary holistic healing energy practice that has benefited hundreds of thousands of people around the world.
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